The Joy o' Kanji Essays
Show:
Sort:
Search for essays:
犠
sacrifice
JOK: 1140
See how sacrificing animals has played a role in Japanese religion. Learn about modern sacrifices, as in, "By the time the war ended, it had claimed many victims" and "Dreaming of the future, I sacrificed the present moment." Sacrifice is also implied in "I am determined to make a living as a playwright at all costs." Learn slang for being an early adopter and how that amounts to being "sacrificed."
菊
chrysanthemum
JOK: 1141
Chrysanthemums are all-important in Japan. The imperial chrysanthemum seal pops up on coins, passports, and battleships. People eat these flowers, drink them, and dress dolls with them. There are mum festivals and a chrysanthemum month. We find 菊 in the names of movies, animals, and a stone. It has worked its way into folklore and is even in slang for a body part!
詰
cram
JOK: 1144
The kanji 詰 shows up in word after word about feeling stuck, being at a loss, arriving at a dead end, giving someone little space (emotionally speaking), and packing people into a tight place. Learn how to talk about being "jam-packed" (think of a Tokyo subway at rush hour), feeling "ill at ease," and being "at a loss for words."
及
amount to
JOK: 1148
Learn to talk about exerting influence, as in "Your advice will affect them," "Little did I dream of doing you any harm," and "Hosting the Olympics had various ripple effects." This includes the spread of TV and smartphones. Also discuss what is out of reach: "The problem was beyond my reach," "I can't hold a candle to Susan," and "Nature is beyond human control." Discover the nuance of the conjunction 及び via several signs.
丘
hill
JOK: 1149
Learn to say, “The hills were covered with snow” and “He sledded down the hill.” See how 丘 differs from three other hill kanji. Find out about the Hill of Promises and Hill of Freedom. Discover the risk of sitting on a pipe as an unestablished couple. Take a crash course in volcanology. Investigate terms for round body parts. And see why noblewomen hired nuns to take the blame for farts!
朽
decay
JOK: 1150
Learn how to marvel that a work of art will last forever, saying things like “This film is a timeless masterpiece” and “He wrote enduring poems.” Also find out how to talk about dilapidated buildings. And see how the Japanese refer to rotting wood and how they would say, “There is nothing that does not decay” and “The wooden boat was so rotten that people assumed it would sink.”
糾
twist
JOK: 1151
Bringing together strands of yarn seems harmless, but with 糾 this act can be menacing. Once just a depiction of twisting strands into a rope, 糾 now also involves criminal investigations, interrogations, and denunciations. The essay explores all that and touches on a dam in the works since 1947, a government policy of abandoning those in need, and communist influence on Japan.
拒
refuse
JOK: 1154
Sometimes you just have to say no. With 拒 you can turn down requests and offers (e.g., marriage proposals), refuse to pay or to take money, reject advice, and refuse to go places. You can also use 拒 to say, "I refuse to answer the question," "The government refuses to bow to public pressure," “They denied asylum to refugees,” and "She automatically dismisses talk of the supernatural."
虚
void
JOK: 1156
In 虚 we find a hollow space, though it's often filled with lies. As such, it pops up in words about bluffs, false fronts, and vanity, as well as emptiness, both emotional and physical. When an effort is in vain, leading to nothing, 虚 again enables us to express that. Learn about its surprising relationship to 実. Also find out why you should never choose a spouse who has a 虚業!
況
situation
JOK: 1163
Do you know how to say, “I don’t like grilled fish, let alone raw fish,” “The market deteriorated, so our inventory piled up,” or “Please let me know the status”? Through this essay you’ll learn all that, plus ways of talking about the business climate, booms and busts, live broadcasts, events packed with people, and more. Also find out how a term for “urgent state of affairs” connects to sumo.
Kanshudo is your AI Japanese tutor, and your constant companion on the road to mastery of the Japanese language.
To get started learning Japanese, just follow the study recommendations on your Dashboard.
You can use Quick search (accessible using the icon at the top of every page) to look up any Japanese word, kanji or grammar point, as well as to find anything on Kanshudo quickly.
For an overview, take the tour.
